On Wednesday, September 11, the Second Western District Military Court sentenced former State Duma deputy Ilya Ponomarev in absentia to ten years in a general regime penal colony “for disseminating knowingly false information about the activities of the Russian Armed Forces and justifying terrorism.”
By a decision of the Russian court, Ponomarev, who is in Ukraine, was found guilty of publicly disseminating false information about the activities of the Russian military motivated by political hatred (paragraph “d” of Part 2 of Article 207.3) and of justifying terrorism (Part 2 of Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code).
In Russia, Ilya Ponomarev is also being investigated for treason, participation in the terrorist organization “Legion Freedom of Russia” and calls for activities against the security of the Russian Federation. Obviously, more in absentia sentences should be expected.
Ilya Ponomarev left Russia in 2014. In 2019, he received Ukrainian citizenship.
On August 1, 2024, Ponomarev was slightly injured when UAV debris fell on his home in the Kyiv region.